I wish someone had taught me more about doing the nasty when I was a kid.  And I’m not saying that nobody ever mentioned anything to me about it, but I really wish someone would have really sat me down, explained it to me, and really drilled it into my head.  Now that I am an adult, I have become all too familiar with it and how important it is.  I’ve also learned how a lot of people don’t really want to do it.  But we’ve all got to do the nasty, don’t we?

The “nasty”…Are you serious??

Yep.  The nasty.  Too many people are afraid of doing the nasty.  However, it’s the only way for us to get what we want.  Here is how I define the nasty:

The nasty is everything between where you are and where you want to be.

It is the hard work, practice, and dedication.  It’s the blood, sweat, and tears.  It’s the coming in early and the leaving late.  When you are going after a goal you will have a number of obstacles, distractions, and challenges.  The bigger your goal, the more challenges you’ll have.  The smaller your goal, the less challenges.  But you will have challenges either way.

The Pile of…

A few years ago I was having a meeting with one of my mentors.  We were talking about goals and he was giving me some sage advice.  After speaking for a while he pulled out a pen, a sheet of paper, and started drawing.  His artistic talent blessed him with the ability to draw this:

“This pot of gold is your goal. When trying to get to the gold, you’re going to have a whole bunch of…poop to go through.  You have to stay focused so that this stuff doesn’t distract you.”

The point is, you have to go through the poop in order to reach your goal.  And I think going through poop is nasty.  Don’t you???

…Poop.  YUCK!!!

There’s no way around it.  We all have to go through the poop.  You have to practice when no one else is.  You have to work hard when everyone else is taking it easy.  And you’ll get aggravated.  You have to stay focused when everything else is out to distract you.  You’ve got to get your hands dirty.  And you’ll get frustrated.  But that’s just how poop is.

Often, people speak of how they wish to accomplish this or that but never seem to get around to actually doing anything.  One big reason for this is they don’t want to do the nasty.

For example, how many of you would like to have as much money as Bill Gates?  Most of us would answer yes.  But, if I asked how many of us would like to make the same sacrifices and apply the same level of focus that Bill Gates did to attain his financial status most of us would back down.

Here’s another example.  How many of you are satisfied with your current level of physical fitness?  Some of you likely are not.  (With approximately 2 billion people in the world who are overweight or obese, I would guess most of you are not).  You likely know what to do – proper diet and exercise.  What is stopping any of us from reaching our fitness goals?

It’s like the students who want A’s but don’t want to study.  Getting extra sleep, watching tv, and partying just keep getting in the way.  What is really stopping these students from getting an A?

The Nasty.  They just don’t want to do the nasty.

Successful People Do the Nasty

Find someone who has achieved any number of goals, especially exceptional goals, and listen to their story of how they became successful.  If they actually speak on their struggles, you’ll find they had to overcome all sorts of poop.

Michael Jordan was known for intensely practicing on his own even after the already demanding team practices.  It’s no accident that he became the greatest basketball player in the world.  Or how about you parents out there who put in the extra study time with your kids so they get the best education possible.  Ten years from now, it won’t be surprising if your child excels both academically and socially.  I was listening to one self-made millionaire describe his day while he focused on reaching his first million…body maintenance and building his business.  That was it.  Talk about doing the nasty!  That’s nasty…

Are You Doing the Nasty??

We all have to do the nasty.  It’s just part of life.  Great students do the nasty by staying up late, burning the midnight oil, studying for exams and writing research papers.  If you earn an income you are likely doing the nasty by waking up early, being a committed business partner, and working hard to meet deadlines.  We just have to remember to apply it to all of our goals and  make sure we choose the goals that truly motivate us.  Because you’re going to need a lot of motivation to make it through all of the poop.

sheet of paper, and started drawing.  His artistic talent blessed him with the ability to draw this: